Dorothy Mathews has been a resident of Southeast Texas for her entire life. She and her husband Michael of 41 years have four children and seven grandchildren. Raising children with strong family values has always been of great importance to Michael and Dorothy. Michael has worked hard in the construction business as a welder for 37 years. Dorothy devoted her life to the care and well being of her family. She has always planned family get-togethers for every holiday ensuring that her family, as well as extended family, knows the important things in life… each other. She really is the center of her entire family. When you’re around Dorothy you know you’re loved. You are going to get a genuine smile with a big hug. You’ll have food on your plate, clothes to wear, transportation to where you need to be and even a photo of it all to prove it. Dorothy Sue truly is a product of Southeast Texas! Her love for the outdoors and emphasis on a strong family bond is evident in her children’s lives today. She has always planned frequent family camping and fishing trips making sure her children enjoyed their childhood and had a love for the outdoors. One of Dorothy’s passions is photography so she now enjoys spending time with her 7 grandchildren making sure their precious memories are captured in photographs. Her nurturing personality draws others to her and has led her to helping young women get through very hard times in their lives.
The past several years Dorothy has been ill and has not been able to participate in the activities she enjoys as much as she would like too. She was diagnosed with liver cancer in early April 2013 and found out that her only chance of survival is a liver transplant. As of July 2, 2013, Dorothy is officially on the transplant list and the procedure is expected to take place within nine months to a year.
Dorothy has already accrued $10,000 in out-of-pocket expenses and her insurance plan through Michael’s employment does not have prescription coverage. This brings us to the purpose of this letter. Not only is the transplant a major surgical procedure, but the post-transplant anti-rejection medication cost is astronomical. For the first three months post transplant, anti-rejection medication is projected to cost from $5,400 to $8,000 per month depending on how much her body requires. Also, she must relocate for the first thirty days post-transplant which involves a tremendous financial burden in itself as travel, housing, parking fees, and other unexpected expenses add up. During those first 30 days she will have 3 appointments per week with physicians for close monitoring. During all of this her husband Michael will need to take an unpaid leave of absence from his job. As friends and family of the Mathews’ family we can offer our help and prayers during this time. We can also help financially. A fundraising campaign in Dorothy’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive, a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for 30 years. All donations are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the South-Central Liver Transplant Fund, and are administered for transplant-related expenses only. For those who are able and would like to truly bless this family, please:
